December 31, 2003 Max's first New Year's Eve. Max spent the night with YaYa and Papa so that mommy and daddy could stay up past midnight (and sleep past 7:00 am). We also noticed Max has at least one tooth coming in up top. That will bring his grand total to 3 teeth! We also THINK Max is saying 'Bye Bye'. He is definitely trying and he is saying it while waving as we are leaving. December 28, 2003 Congratulations Coach! Today we attended First United Methodist Church. Today was Coach's last Sunday at that church. After 22 years as Senior pastor, coach retired. See the Max Museum for a picture of the whole family. December 25, 2003 Max's first Christmas. What a busy day! Santa came, then we went to Meme and Coach's. Max got a big red wagon! We then traveled to Pauls Valley for lunch. Max has so much fun at Nana's house. He walked EVERYWHERE and loved climbing the stairs. We came back to our house to have Christmas with Popps. Then it was off to Yaya and Papa's for dinner and more Christmas. Max loves his new cell phone! We had such a wonderful day. Max was not interested in any presents (unless they had wheels...in that case, he would just spin them). We are so blessed. Happy Birthday Jesus!! December 24, 2003 Max's first Christmas Eve. We baked with Yaya this morning while Daddy did almost ALL his shopping. We went to Christmas Eve service and then to Meme's house for dinner. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and then hurried home so Santa could come. December 23, 2003 Happy birthday Coach! Tonight we celebrated Coach's birthday. Uncle Deak and Aunt Steph were there. They are moving 'home' to Tulsa...hooray! They had not seen Max since this summer! December 19, 2003 Max can walk across the room by himself! He still prefers to crawl and cannot stand up by himself yet (without the assistance of a couch or something). He is getting more mobile by the day! December 15, 2003 Max is 11 months old today. Wow! He is starting to 'talk' more. He loves to smile, laugh, wave and clap. He is getting braver and taking more and more steps. Max has two teeth now! He loves to watch the Wiggles. And, finally...he is sleeping through the night!! This make us all much happier. Next month at this time, Max will be 1 year old. We can't believe it! December 11, 2003 Max is clapping! He is so proud of himself (and we are proud of him too). December 8, 2003 Baby steps...Max is starting to take steps!! November 27, 2003 Happy Thanksgiving! We are not sure what Max thought of his first Turkey Day. He did try some turkey and dressing, but was more interested in his pureed peas. However, he LOVES mommy's banana pudding! Max still isn't feeling real well, so there were not a lot of smiles or laughs from him today. Hopefully he is on his way to being well, so we can have a much merrier Christmas! We are so thankful today for all our friends and family. We are especially thankful for Max. He is such a joy to us! Thank you God for entrusting him to us! November 25, 2003 Back to the doctor for ear recheck. Max's ears are still infected, so we'll try a new antibiotic and see what happens! November 20, 2003 A tooth! A tooth! Max has a tooth! This has been quite a big week for us. One of Max's bottom teeth is poking through the gum today. I THOUGHT I saw it last night, but today it is official! November 18, 2003 He speaks! Max FINALLY said something. All day and night he has been saying ga ga ga ga ga. We're still waiting for mama and dada, but at least we heard his little voice! November 15, 2003 Max is 10 months old today!! Let's see, he still does not have any teeth and he is still not talking (just lots of high pitched squealing). However, he is on the move. He crawls so fast and can really get around on his feet if he is holding on to something. He loves his push toy walker! His hair is growing over his ears, but we just keep pushing it back. Max aslo undertstands the word 'No'. If he is doing something he shouldn't be doing and we tell him 'No', he stops the action but makes a low groaning sound at us. Max loves to dance and is currently working on several variations of his wave 'bye bye'. He is very happy, very curious and very busy! We are looking forward to his first Thanksgiving!! November 13, 2003 Yuck! Another ear infection. Poor little guy. He is still pretty happy during the day. He just prefers to scream all night. After a visit to the doctor today, we got some meds, so hopefully he will feel better soon! October 31, 2003 Max's first Halloween/Reformation Day! Max visited Daddy at his office, all dressed up in his frog costume. We went to a carnival at church. What a fun day! See the Max Museum for pictures of Max dressed up like a frog. October 30, 2003 Baby Steps...Max has finally gotten the hang of his walker/push toy. He can push it without falling flat on his face. He loves it! Also, For a couple of weeks he has been letting go of whatever he is hanging on to. I finally feel like it is consistent enough to actually share that he is standing by himself for several long seconds! Oh, he is growing up too fast. October 15, 2003 Oh my gosh!! Max is 9 months old today. Why is time going so fast? He now weighs 20 pounds and is 27 1/2 inches long. His ears are perfectly clear...hooray! He is still not 'talking', but the doctor is not concerned. He is also showing NO signs of teeth. (Steph was a year before she got any teeth and Uncle Chris was 18 months). Max can now start to eat a more variety of foods and is looking forward to getting his hands on some Cheerios. Max does have eczema. We put lotion on him several times a day, but we are not seeing a real improvement. We are going to start some other things to try to clear it up. Please pray that this eczema will clear up soon! The doctor also told us that babies with eczema often have allergies and asthma. So, please be praying that Max will not suffer from either!! Max had his first 'goose egg' earlier in the week. See the Max Museum for a picture of his bump. Poor little guy. He is so resiliant. His bruise is practically gone! It is also a full work out to change a diaper these days. He hates it when we put him on his back, so we have gotten quite creative with diaper and clothes changing. We continue to enjoy every day with him. He is such a blessing to us! September 27, 2003 Max went back to the doctor yesterday. He still was not sleeping well and sure enough, his ear infections were not better. He was put on a different antibiotic. Today Jamie and Max went to the zoo. They went with cousins Drew, William, Thomas and Andrew. Boys day out! I think they had a great time. September 19, 2003 Max's first ear infection. After a week and a half of drippy nose and a TERRIBLE night last night, we took Max to the doctor. Sure enough, both ears are infected. Poor little guy. We hope that he is feeling better very soon! They did weigh him and he is up to 20 pounds (with his clothes on). September 15, 2003 Max is 8 months old today! What a big boy. He woke up with a shiner on his eye. It must be from one of the many falls he is taking. He thinks he is so big. He pulls up on EVERYTHING and loves to let go. I keep telling him to be careful, but I don't think he gets it. Jamie thinks he will be walking soon...surely he won't start walking before he is a year old! Max had a big weekend. He had dinner with his friend Layne Ryan on Saturday night. (See the Max Museum for a couple of pictures) and on Sunday he visited First Church. He had a wonderful time with 'Grandma Woo' in the nursery! September 6, 2003 Max is officially crawling. After weeks of scooting and inch worming, he is up and off on all fours. We have also found that he loves Clay Aiken (the latest American Idol winner). I just happened to tape Clay when he was on Oprah the other day. Max just smiled and watched him sing. Now, if Max gets fussy or mad, we just turn on Clay and Max stops everything to watch. We also have a song called 'Dance To Your Daddy' that settles Max. If he gets upset in the car, I just turn on this song. No other song does the trick... but, as soon as he hears 'Dance To Your Daddy', silence. It's a little creepy, but hey, it works! Another fun thing we did was meet Jennifer, Jonathan and Seth. When I was pregnant I got acquainted with a group of girls who were all having babies in January. We have all stayed in touch over the internet. Jennifer and her family recently moved to Oklahoma. Yesterday we met them at the mall! See the Max Museum for a picture of Max and Seth. September 1, 2003 Max's first Labor Day. It was a cold and rainy one! Also, although we saw Max pull up on the furniture several times yesterday, it was the first day that we walked in and he was standing in his crib! Good thing we lowered the mattress a couple of weeks ago. August 31, 2003 Well, he is pulling up. I can't believe it! He is still not real steady, but you can tell he is so proud of himself...and, of course we are proud of him too! See picture in The Max Museum. August 27, 2003 One year ago today, we found out we were going to have a baby boy! August 21, 2003 Today we took Max to the eye doctor. We have been noticing his left eye drooping a bit. We got a great report...he is just fine! The doctor also noticed it drooping, but his vision, muscles, nerves all look great. August 19, 2003 Today I walked into Max's room to find him SITTING in his crib! What a big boy. We had to lower the mattress. I'm sure he'll be standing in it soon. August 15, 2003 7 months old today! Jamie often asks 'Why is he getting so big?'. Max can get anywhere he wants. He can scoot and get up on all fours (he'll be crawling VERY soon). He sits for long periods of times by himself and has even gotten himself into the sitting position from tummy. He is sleeping great and loves to eat veggies. He also has an imaginary friend (or he can see angels). He has one spot he loves to look. He smiles and talks to this spot. Who knows what he is looking at, but it sure is funny! Today he rode in the cart at Target. Since he is in his big carseat now, we no longer have the little carrier to tote him around in. And, after struggling with getting him to take a bottle, he has decided he'll take one...if he can hold it himself! These past 7 months have gone by so fast! August 3, 2003 Max's first trip to Watonga! We finally got out to Popps' house. It was a big day and a fun time. A friend of Popps got Max a roller coaster (I'm not kidding...look in 'The Max Museum' for pictures). It is going to stay in Watonga. Max is not quite big enough to ride it yet, but we are sure he will love it! July 27, 2003 We started vegetables today! Max had his first taste of green beans. So far he is unimpressed. Also, an update on his sleeping...he has been doing so much better! Last night we put him down at about 8:00 PM. He woke up at 6:50 AM and ate. He went back down until 9:15 AM. Hooray for Max! July 25, 2003 Today was Max's 6 month check up. He is doing great! In fact, the doctor said 'He couldn't be doing any better'. He now weighs 18 pounds, 4 ounces and is 26 1/2 inches long. He got 3 shots and was not very happy about it. What we thought were teeth are actually just 'buds'. So, it looks like it will still be awhile before we see any teeth. He gets to start his veggies and fruits. We know he will enjoy that! July 15, 2003 Max is 6 months old today! How time is flying. July 14, 2003 Max's first car wreck. Of course he wasn't driving! Max and I (Steph) were in a car accident today. It was very scary, but we are so thankful to be OK. I'm a little sore and scraped up, but it could have been much worse. God really protected us! Hopefully, this will also be Max's only wreck. July 3, 2003 Max went to the doctor today. After weeks of congestion, then runny nose, then a cough...I thought it was time. The report was this: 'He has a summer cold'. I am so thankful it was not his ears! Anyways, he now weighs 17 pounds, 8 ounces. June 20, 2003 Tonight Max's friend Caleb dropped by for a visit. It was very fun! Check the Max Museum for pictures. It is also cousin Joseph's birthday. Max got to swim with him today. Just an update...Max has not rolled from tummy to back again. I guess he forgot how since last Friday. Also, he loves his cereal, but it does not seem to be helping him sleep at night!! June 19, 2003 Max is trying very hard to sit up by himself. He is still pretty wobbly and of course we have to position him just right. See the Max Museum for a picture. June 15, 2003 Happy Father's Day. Max was so excited to give his daddy his Father's Day gifts. He gave him a picture of him surfing (in his hawaiian shirt) and a dictionary/thesaurus desk set. We saw Coach, Popps and Papa. Jamie is such a wonderful dad. Max and I are so glad that we have him!! And, Max is 5 months old today. June 13, 2003 Good for Max...he has decided to roll from tummy to back. He is still not a pro, but I saw him do it twice today! June 11, 2003 Although I've heard it is a myth that feeding babies cereal will help them sleep through the night, I gave in. After two weeks of sleepless nights, Max started cereal. Of course, he did not eat very much but seemed to enjoy it somewhat. What a mess! We'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks. June 9, 2003 Our big boy now weighs 16 pounds, 13 ounces. June 7, 2003 Today Max went to Steph's 10 year High School reunion picnic. Boy were there a lot of kids there! Everyone thought Max was so cute! June 1, 2003 Max spent the night away from Mommy and Daddy for the first time! Jamie and I went to the McBirney Mansion for a get away (to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday). We had a wonderful time and Max did great at Yaya and Papa's house! May 27, 2003 Three weeks ago I reported that Max rolled over. We quickly discovered he would only roll over if he could push off something. BUT, today, he rolled over for real, unassisted. Now, we can't keep him from rolling over! When he woke up this morning he was on his tummy. He was not very happy about it and of course it makes me a wreck! We are still working on rolling from tummy to back. May 26, 2003 Memorial Day and Max's first day at the pool. We think he liked it...at least he wasn't complaining about it. We took some pictures that we'll eventually post. He made sure not to take a nap so that he didn't miss any of the days activities! May 16, 2003 Today was Max's 4 month checkup. He is now 25 inches long and weighs 15 pounds 9 ounces. No wonder my back has been hurting!! He is doing great. He is in constant motion and is happiest if we are holding him in a standing position. He is very happy. Even after four shots yesterday, he still had a great day! We are having so much fun. May 15, 2003 4 months old today!! May 11, 2003 My first Mother's Day. It was wonderful! We had a busy day, but a very fun one. Max got me a box of chocolate covered cherries and a pedicure. He is so sweet! May 9, 2003 Max's first tornado! He was such a good sport. Jamie was in Watonga visiting his dad. I got Max to sleep and about 9:15, noticed that the bad weather was heading straight for us. I called my parents to see what they thought of the storm. After much talking, we realized the storm was not slowing down and it could be a very serious situation. My mom and dad came to get us. Max was sleeping, so we carefully put him in his carseat. As we were loading him, the warning sirens started to sound. It was raining so hard! We got him in the car and arrived at mom and dad's. We huddled in the closet with our wool coats on and pillows from the couch on top of us. Max continued to sleep through the whole ordeal. Fortunately, the tornado did not stay on the ground and we survived just fine. We thank God for His protection! We have a picture of Max in the closet. I'll try to get it up sometime this week. May 6, 2003 Max rolled over! Ufortunately no one saw it. He was staying at Grandma's while Jamie had an upper GI. When I called to check on him, my mom said 'Has he rolled over for you?'. Apparently, she put him on the floor on his back and went into the kitchen to make a bottle. He was a bit fussy and when she got back in the room, he was on his tummy! April 27, 2003 This morning was Max's dedication. Of course, we dedicated Max to God as soon as we found out about him, but this morning we dedicated him at church. We stood before our friends and family and promised to raise Max in a christian home and show him Jesus. It was such a special morning. After church, we had lunch at Grandma and Papa's house. Meme, Coach, Popps, Nanna, Uncle Chris, Auntie, Uncle Lance, Christian, Joseph and Carder celebrated with us. We are so blessed and so thankful for Max! April 22, 2003 It's official. Max definitely, absolutely slept through the night last night. We put him down at 8:30 and he woke up at...7:00!!! Wow! We could get use to this. April 20, 2003 Happy Easter! Max had a fun day with all his cousins, Meme, Coach, Nanna, Popps, Auntie and Uncle Lance. He got to meet Grandma Harris and Aunt Jan for the first time. After going to church, having lunch at Meme's and going to see Grandma and Papa, Max took a long nap! What a fun day. April 18, 2003 Max was weighed today. He is 14 pounds! He is such a big boy. We love how his little cheeks jiggle...and his legs have so many rolls! April 15, 2003 Tax day! And, Max is three months old! April 14, 2003 Tonight Max went to his first baseball game. He didn't stay long...it was very windy and very loud. It was his cousin Christian's game. (Way to go Christian on your three hits, including a homerun!) Max is still occassionally sleeping through the night (6 - 7 hours), but most nights wakes up at leat once. That's OK, we'll take any amount of sleep we can get. March 31, 2003 Max slept through the night last night! He has been going for about 5 1/2 to 6 hours, but last night it was 8! We put him down at 10:15 and didn't hear a peep until about 6:15. He then went back to sleep at 7:15 and slept until 9:30. Mommy and Daddy (especially mommy) are VERY happy. We'll see if he keeps it up! Max also went to Papa's work today. Everyone there thinks he is so sweet! March 17, 2003 Today was Max's 2 month check up. Everything is great. He had to get four shots. Poor little man...but he was brave. He now weighs 12 lbs, 1 oz and is 22 1/2 inches long! March 15, 2003 2 months old today! March 12, 2003 Today we had lunch with Grandma, Aunt Teresa, Cousin Dana and her little ones William, Thomas and Andrew. It was a good time. On the way home from Dana's, we stopped at the zoo. Needless to say, Max slept on his first trip to the zoo! March 10, 2003 Happy Birthday Meme! Tonight Max made his first trip to Edmond to Meme and Coach's house. He had lots of stuff to look at. We had a nice evening of celebrating Meme's birthday. March 8, 2003 Today we celebrated Papa's birthday. We went to the Titanic exhibit adn then to eat some BBQ at the County Line. Max was an angel, he slept the entire time! (He did wake up once to eat). What a fun day! March 7, 2003 What a big day! Today Max got to meet his DataModes family. Steph and Max went up to the office for a visit. Today is also Papa's (Steph's dad) birthday. We will celebrate tomorrow. Tonight Max will be meeting a new friend...Miss Layne Ryan. March 6, 2003 Max had his first restaurant experience today. He was so good. He ate at Pioneer Pies with Meme, Nanna, Auntie, Joseph, Carder and Mommy. March 4, 2003 Today I took Max to 'Moms and More' to weigh. He weighed in at (are you ready for this) 11 pounds 3 ounces! His Meme calls him 'Chunk Teetus'. February 26, 2003 6 weeks old today! February 24, 2003 It's official...Max is smiling!! We've seen little smiles, but now he is smiling in response. It is so fun. Jamie was home sick today with a stomach bug. Max and I kept our distance! But, the neat thing is that Jamie was home to see the first smile from across the room. He is changing so quickly. February 17, 2003 Today I took Max to 'Moms and More' out at Mercy hospital. They have all sorts of stuff, but I took him out there to weigh him. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 6.9 ounces! Go Max! February 15, 2003 I am one month old today! You would think my parents would want to hang out with me and give me lots of presents, but instead they left me for a whole evening. I stayed at Grandma and Papa's house for a really long time. I even had visitors while I was there...Aunt Susie, cousin Andrea and Uncle Chris. My parents went to the Addys. This is an awards ceremony for advertising people. I am so proud of my dad. Four web sites that he built won awards! He walked away with two bronze Addys and two silver Addys. He's the best! Congratulations Dad! What a way to celebrate my one month birthday. February 14, 2003 This past week was full of firsts for him. He met his twin cousins Thomas and Andrew. He met his Uncle Roger and Aunt Jo. He went on his first walk on Tuesday with cousins Christian and Joseph. He had his first trip to McDonald's with all the Gutteridge kids (Christian, Joseph, Carder, Abby, Ashley, John and Cate)! He attended his first Parents As Teachers play group. At play group he made some trail mix and a bird feeder (with help from mom). And, of course, his first Valentine's Day! We are having lots of fun with Mr. Max. And, the infamous rocker came in, so Max's nursery is now complete. We'll see if we can get some pics of the nursery up. February 6, 2003 Today was Max's first snow! I don't think he really cares, but he did get out in it to go to Auntie's for lunch. Yesterday, one of Steph's co-workers, Teresa, came to the house to show her how to do infant massage. Max really enjoyed it! Max was also 3 weeks old yesterday. He is really starting to fill out and change. Hopefully we'll get some more recent pictures up soon. February 2, 2003 Max had his first shopping trip on Friday (January 31st). He went to Target and Northpark Mall. I don't think he was that excited...he slept the whole time! Steph's mom went with her. Thank goodness because it sounds like it was a lot of work to get that little guy in and out of baskets and the carseat base. Steph is wondering how she will ever do it alone. Today, Sunday, Max made his first appearance at Grace Church. I guess he liked it...once again, he slept the whole time. Everyone at church was glad to meet him. He also went to check on the progress at Uncle Chris' house. It is looking good. Hope he is planning on baby proofing so that Max can spend some quality time there! It was such a beautiful weekend. We all enjoyed the warm weather. We'll see what adventures Max has next week! We can't believe he'll be three weeks old on Wednesday! January 29, 2003 Max is two weeks old today. Today was also Max's first doctor's appointment. He was so good! Everything is going great. He has gained 1 pound since leaving the hospital two weeks ago. Good job Max! We won't see Dr. Krause again until his 2 month check up in March. Max also got to meet Sue (his Parents As Teachers Parent Educator). She came over this afternoon and she thinks he is pretty great. Sunday (January 26th) Max watched his first Superbowl and on Tuesday (January 28th) he went to Grandma Sandie and Grandpa Steve's house to celebrate Uncle Chris' birthday. It was this night that he watched his firs State of the Union address. Tomorrow is the 30th (the day Max was estimated to arrive). While it was a surprise he came early, we have sure enjoyed him these past two weeks! January 25, 2003 Max is such a good baby. We have been home a week and can't believe how fast time is flying. Max loves to listen to his 'Smart Symphonies' CD. He is eating really well and sleeping well too. Last night we all got in bed at about midnight and then got up to eat at 3:30 and then again at 8:00. So, we feel like he is adjusting well. Max has enjoyed all his company, but there are several people out there he would still like to meet! Max is also very anxious to see his Uncle Chris' house. We hear it is really coming along. It has just been too cold to get out! Max's first doctor's appointment is Wednesday, so we'll update after that. January 17, 2003 A big day for Max. He had his 'little procedure' a.k.a. circumcision this morning. He barely cried. He is so brave! He had his picture made and we were sent home. All is going well. He is eating well and sleeping well. We'll now try to adjust to the big change. Thank you all for your calls, visits, thoughts and prayers! We appreciate it. And, if you haven't met Max yet, we can't wait for you to meet him! January 15, 2003 Steph arrived at the hospital at 8:30 for her Non Stress Test. They got her hooked up and started monitoring. Everything was going great. Having some contrations (she didn't even know), but Max was doing well. It was Dr. Huff's day off, but she was paged to review the test. Again, Steph stayed on the monitors to wait to be discharged. Wouldn't you know that as soon as the OK was given, Max's heartrate fell (with no contraction this time). That was it. The nurse told Steph to call her husband and Dr. Huff was coming in to talk about a game plan. When Jamie arrived (about 11:45), Steph had already been admitted. He was a little shocked to find her in a room, in a gown, in a bed! They started Steph's IV at 12:00, the pitocin (drug used to induce labor) started at 12:05 and was then increased at 12:25, and her epidural was given at 12:37 (by the wonderful anesthesiologist - Dr. Jones). Steph was so proud that Jamie stayed during this procedure! Although Steph was not in pain, the epidural was started early incase Max could not tolerate the labor and in that case, a C-section would be necessary. The pitocin was increased again at 1:20, 1:40 and 2:15. Steph had gone in dilated 1 cm and at 2:15, she had dilated to 4 cm. At this time her water was broken. At 4:05, she had dilated to a 5. The pitocin was increased at 5:06 and at 5:35, Steph was 'complete'. The call was put in to Dr. Huff. Steph started pushing at 5:55. She pushed through three contractions and then was told to stop to wait on Dr. Huff. Dr. Huff arrived in the room at 6:01 and with no time to change into scrubs, she delivered Max Jamison Russell at 6:06 with one more contraction. Just 11 minutes after starting to push, he was here! 6 pounds, 7 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long. It was amazing. When Max was delivered, we soon found out the reason for his crazy heartrate. The little guy had his cord around his neck. While this is common, it is very scary. Steph never felt a contraction or any pain. It couldn't have gone better. We thank God for protecting him and for the wisdom He gave to Dr. Huff. January 14, 2003 Steph woke up with a small symptom that something may be happening. She basically wasn't sure if maybe she was leaking some fluid. She called the doctor, because better safe than sorry. Work was a little slow this morning and of course she needed to get to the doctor so the could test this fluid and find out what was going on. She thought this would be a 10 minute trip...get in and if everything was OK, get out. (Sorry DataModes for leaving and then not coming back. I really thought it would only take a minute). The test for the fluid did only take a minute and it came back that it was not amniotic fluid. Good, right? Well, Dr. Huff also wanted her to have a non stress test. This is a very common test for women late in pregnancy or for troubled pregnancies. They hooked Steph up to the monitors so that they could see if she was having contractions and if so, how they affected Max's heartrate and movement. She should have been hooked up for about 20 - 30 minutes. Everything looked great, Max looked great, no problems. The nurses tried several times to page Dr. Huff and couldn't get a response. Steph could not leave until Dr. Huff looked at everything. Steph called all the appropriate people (Jamie, Mom, Sis, work) to let them know everything was fine, just took a little more time than she thought. Finally, close to noon, they got the discharge orders. Well, obviously Max did not want to go home because as soon as he found out he was leaving, he pulled a fast one. Steph had a 'monster contraction' and Max's heartrate dropped very low. About four nurses rushed into the room and she received a shot of Brethine to relax everything. Dr. Huff was paged and was downstairs in no time. She told Steph to get Jamie to the hospital and that some decisions may have to be made. Steph went in for an ultrasound to see how Max looked. Everthing looked good. Steph had to be monitored for the next 3 hours. At the end of the 3 hours, Dr. Huff told us that everything looked good. No one knew why Max had this little spell. It was decided that Steph could go home and would come in for Non Stress Tests two times a week. She will go back at 8:30 Wednesday, January 15th for her next one. January 13, 2003 Today at Steph's appointment we found out everything is going well and she is 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced. So, we are getting closer to having a baby! Max's heartrate was 134 today. Steph did test positive for something called Group B Strep. They test all pregnant women at about 36 weeks. It is not harmful to her, but could be to Max. So, as soon as she goes into labor she will get an antibiotic IV and that should prevent it from passing to Max. However, this is something to keep in your prayers! Blood pressure and weight all still good. Won't be long now. Oh, and for those of you who have asked how big does the doctor think Max is, Dr. Huff doesn't think he'll be too big. She is guessing the average 7 to 7 1/2 pounds. Our next appointment is January 20th, so look for an update then! January 12, 2003 Our final shower was today. Max is going to be so well dressed!! Today Steph's friends had a shower and she had so much fun. It was good to catch up with girls she had not seen in awhile. Everyone is so excited to meet Max! January 11, 2003 Shower number 3. What a fun day. It is incredible to see how many people love us and are going to love Max. As we have said before, we are so thankful for all the wonderful people in our lives! We even had people from Pauls Valley, Enid, Ponca City, and Dallas drive in for the shower. The picture at the right was taken at the shower today. On the left is Chris Harris (Jamie's mom). She is Max's MeMe. On the right is Sandie Blake (Steph's mom). She is Max's Grandma or Grandmommy or something (name not yet decided). Max is so blessed to have these two awesome women in his life! They are going to love him and probably spoil him beyond belief! And we are blessed to have such great examples to follow. January 6, 2003 Steph is now going to the doctor every week! Unbelievable how time has flown. At today's appointment, everything was great. Blood pressure is still great and so is the weight gain. Dr. Huff says she has gained 26 1/4 pounds (Steph thought it was 28 pounds, but why argue with the doctor). She measured 37 cm and she will be 37 weeks on Wednesday, so everything seems to be on target. Once again Max was taking his afternoon nap. His heartbeat was a strong, slow 123. Look for another update next week. Jamie has been working very hard on the nursery. It looks outstanding! Hopefully the virtual tour will be up soon. January 3, 2003 Happy New Year! Today we had our second shower. This shower was at Jamie's work, 3rd Degree. We had such a nice time. We had lunch from Olive Garden, opened presents and then had ice cream cake! (Good job on the chocolate mousse royale for Steph and the chocolate chip for Jamie). Once again we are amazed by our friends' generosity. It is so great to share such a special time with such special people. Max got lots of great stuff. Things to wear, books to read, a high chair and more. Thanks 3rd Degree!! Max will read his mail soon enough, but for now his parents will read it to him. Email him at: Max@MaxRussell.com. In the event that Max is a beautiful baby girl, she will be called Sophie Marie. But for now, the doctor tells us that we are for sure having a "Max". See "The Max Museum" for proof.